5. Freedom of Action
5. 行動的自由

As man grows through the inner life, so he feels a freedom of thought, speech and action which comes as a natural course through his spiritual journey. And the reason why this Freedom comes and whence it comes can be explained by the fact that there is a spirit of freedom hidden within man, covered by outward conventionalities. When man grows out of the outward conventionalities, then the spirit of freedom, which was closed in so far, becomes manifest.

隨著人透過內在生命而成長，他會在思想、言語與行動中感受到一種自由；這自由是在他的靈性旅程中自然產生的。至於這自由為何出現、又從何而來，可以由一個事實來說明：人的內在隱藏著自由之靈，只是被外在的慣俗所覆蓋。當人逐漸超越這些外在慣俗時，那先前一直被封閉其中的自由之靈便顯現出來。

The laws given to humanity are given by those far from such laws, the eIder ones. As for children, certain laws, certain rules are necessary, so those who have not yet evolved to look at life from the higher point of view are fixed under certain laws which are taught to them as religion; and these are as necessary for mankind as the rules given to the children in the home. If there were no rules given, the children would become unruly; but when the children become grown-up, then they begin to see For themselves the reason why rules were given to them and the benefit that these rules were to them; then they can make such rules for themselves as suit them best.

賜予人類的律法，是由那些早已超越這些律法的長者所給予。正如孩子需要某些律法與規則，那些尚未演化到能從更高觀點看待生命的人，也需要受到某些律法的規範，而這些律法以宗教的形式教導給他們。對人類而言，這些律法就如家庭中為孩子訂立的規矩一樣必要。若沒有任何規矩，孩子便會變得不受管束；然而當孩子長大成人，他們便開始親自明白，當初為何需要這些規矩，以及這些規矩曾帶給他們什麼益處；到了那時，他們便能為自己訂立最適合自己的規則。

The inner life helps a soul to grow up; when the soul evolves from subjection to mastery, then it makes rules for itself. In the East, therefore, no one tries to criticize a spiritual person; no one stands up to judge his action or to accuse him of something which he himself calls wrong. For this reason Jesus Christ has said, “Judge not.” But this teaching has been given to point out that “judge not” applies to your equal; for the one who is still more advanced no one can judge.

內在生命幫助靈魂成熟；當靈魂從受制演化到自我主宰時，它便開始為自己訂立規則。因此，在東方，沒有人試圖批評一位靈性之人；沒有人站出來審判他的行為，或因某件在自己眼中被視為錯誤的事而指責他。正因如此，耶穌基督曾說：「不要論斷。」而這項教導所指出的是：即使對與自己同等的人，也不應論斷；至於比自己更為進一步的人，更不是任何人所能論斷的。

When man has the tendency to judge one more advanced than himself, the consequence is that spiritual advancement deteriorates; because however advanced he may be those who have not yet advanced pull him down. Therefore humanity, instead of going forward, goes backward.

當人產生論斷比自己更為進一步之人的傾向時，其結果便是靈性的進展受到損害；因為無論那個人已走得多遠，那些尚未前進的人仍會將他拉下來。因此，人類非但沒有向前，反而向後退。

What happened in the case of Jesus Christ? He was judged. The liberated soul, the soul which was made free by divine nature, was judged at the court of man. The less advanced men considered themselves sufficiently learned to judge Christ, and not only to judge, but to give sentence. In whatever period of civilization, therefore, the tendency has shown itself to judge the one who is advanced, there has always come a collapse of the whole civilization.

耶穌基督的情況又是如何？祂受到了審判。那獲得解脫的靈魂、那因神性而得自由的靈魂，竟在人的法庭上受審。那些較不進步的人，自認具有足夠的學識可以審判基督；不只審判祂，甚至還對祂宣判。因此，無論在哪一個文明時期，只要出現論斷那些走在前方之人的傾向，整個文明便總會隨之走向崩解。

Sarmad, a great Sufi saint who lived in Gwalior, was asked by the Emperor Aurangzeb to attend the mosque, for it was against the rules of the time that anyone kept away from the regular prayers, which took place in the mosque of the State. Sarmad, being a man of ecstasy, living every moment of his day and night in union with God, being God-conscious himself, perhaps forgot or refused. A certain time of prayer or a certain place for prayer to him was nothing; every place to him was a place of prayer; every time was a time of prayer; his every breath was a prayer. As he refused to attend prayers he was beheaded for breaking the rules which were made for everyone. The consequence was that the Mogul Empire declined and its downfall can be dated from that time; the entire Mogul civilization, unique in its period, fell to pieces.

薩爾馬德是一位曾居於瓜廖爾的偉大蘇菲聖者。當時的皇帝奧朗則布命他前往清真寺參加禮拜，因為依當時的規定，任何人缺席國家清真寺所舉行的定期禮拜，都是違反規矩的。薩爾馬德是一位活在狂喜中的人，日日夜夜的每一刻都活在與神的合一之中，本身始終覺知著神；他或許忘了，也或許拒絕了。對他而言，特定的祈禱時間或特定的祈禱場所都沒有意義；每一個地方都是祈禱之地，每一個時刻都是祈禱之時，他的每一次呼吸都是祈禱。由於他拒絕參加禮拜，便因違反為所有人制定的規條而遭斬首。其後，蒙兀兒帝國開始衰落，而它的沒落可以說就始於那個時刻；那在當時獨具一格的整個蒙兀兒文明，也逐漸分崩離析。

The Hindus have always known this philosophy, for the reason that they had a perfect religion, a religion in which one aspect of God was characterized as human; and their various Devas are nothing but various characteristics of human nature, each of them adored and worshipped. In this way not only God, but the whole human nature in all its aspects, was adored and worshipped. It is that which makes the Hindu religion perfect. When people say, “This place is sacred, and that other place is not sacred; that particular thing is holy, and all other things not holy,” in this way they divide life into many pieces, the life which is one, the life which cannot be divided.

印度教徒一向明白這種哲學，因為他們擁有一種圓滿的宗教；在這宗教之中，神的一個面向被賦予人的形貌，而其中各種神祇，正是人性各種不同特質的呈現，每一種都受到崇敬與敬拜。如此一來，受到崇敬與敬拜的便不只是神，也包括人性所有不同的面向。正是這一點，使印度教成為一種圓滿的宗教。當人們說：「這個地方是神聖的，另一個地方則不是；這一件事物是神聖的，其他事物則不神聖」，他們便是以這種方式將生命切割成許多片段；然而生命本是一體，是不可分割的。

Therefore those who rise above the ordinary conventionalities of life by their inner development come to another consciousness. For them worldly laws are the laws for the children. Those who begin to see this difference between the laws they set before themselves and the laws that are observed by mankind, at first sometimes condemn and then disregard the common laws. They criticize them, and ask, “What is it all for?” But those who come to the fuller realization of the inner laws, show respect even for the laws of the children; knowing that they are the laws for the children and not for the grown-up yet they respect them, for they know that it cannot be otherwise. The laws which they know can only manifest to the one whose soul rises to that realization; but before that soul rises it must have some law by which to live in harmony. Therefore advanced souls regard such laws with respect, and observe them when they are in the community. They do not condemn them; they will not criticize them. They realize that harmony is the principal thing in life, and that we cannot be happy through life if we cannot harmonize with all those around us. Whatever be our grade of evolution, whatever be our outlook on life, and whatever be our freedom, we must have regard for the laws of the majority.

因此，那些透過內在成長而超越生命中一般慣俗的人，會進入另一種意識。對他們而言，世間的律法就如給孩子的律法。當人開始看見自己為自己所立的律法，與人類普遍遵守的律法之間有所不同時，起初有時會譴責這些共同的律法，繼而不再理會它們。他們會批評這些律法，並問：「這一切究竟有什麼用？」然而，那些對內在律法有了更完整體認的人，即使對這些給孩子的律法也會保持尊重。他們知道這是給孩子的律法，而不是給成人的；但仍尊重它們，因為他們知道，在那個階段事情只能如此。他們所認識的那些律法，只能向靈魂已提升至相應體認的人顯現；然而，在靈魂尚未提升到那裡之前，它仍需要某種律法，使自己能依循而與人和諧共處。因此，較為進步的靈魂尊重這些律法，身處群體之中時也會遵守它們。他們不譴責，也不批評。他們體認到，和諧是生命中首要之事；若不能與周遭所有人和諧相處，我們便無法在人生中得到幸福。無論我們處於怎樣的演化階段，抱持怎樣的生命觀，又擁有怎樣的自由，都必須顧及多數人所共同遵守的律法。

Now the question is, do those who are spiritually advanced have any special conception of morals? Indeed they have; and their morals are great morals, much greater than the average human being can conceive. It is not that by becoming free spiritually from the laws of the generality, they become free from their own laws. They have their own laws to bind them; and these are much higher and much greater laws. No doubt their way of looking at things may be criticized and may not be generally understood. Yet their law is more akin to nature; their laws are in harmony with the spirit. Their laws have their effect as phenomena. And by regarding two morals which are contrary to each other, the morals of the generality and their own morals, they arrive at a plane and a condition where their hands and feet are nailed. That is the symbolical meaning of the nailing of Christ to the cross.

那麼，問題是：那些在靈性上更為進步的人，是否有自己特殊的道德觀？他們確實有；而他們所遵循的是更高遠的道德，遠超過一般人所能理解的程度。他們在靈性上超越了大眾共同的律法而獲得自由，並不表示他們也從自己的律法中得到自由。他們有自己的律法約束自己，而這些是更高、更宏大的律法。毫無疑問，他們看待事物的方式可能受到批評，也未必能為一般人所理解。然而，他們的律法更貼近自然，也與靈相和；這些律法的作用會顯現為各種現象。而當他們同時顧及兩套彼此相反的道德——大眾的道德與他們自己的道德——他們便來到一種境界與處境，在那裡，他們的手腳彷彿都被釘住。這正是基督被釘在十字架上的象徵意義。

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